Tortellini Bolognese

That’s what I ate for lunch on Saturday, March 25, 2006 because a couple friends and I took a trip to Bologna, a city nicknamed “Bologna the Fat.” Among other things, this is the home of tortellini and ragu.

Infrequently visited by tourists, it’s one of the most underrated cities in Italy. It was nice to get away from the tourist scene for a day.

The train station is quite a bit from the center of town and at the time we didn’t have a map on hand. So we took my strategy and followed the biggest group of people. The cobblestone streets were beautiful and the most interesting part was the sidewalks. Almost all of them are covered with lined arches. You can literally walk around town for hours in a rainstorm without ever feeling a drop.

My strategy proved successful and we reached the central square, Piazza Maggiore. The biggest building in the square is the Basilica di San Petronio. The interesting thing about this church is that construction began in the 14th century and work was still in progress 300 years later, but as you can see, it’s still not completed. Only part of the exterior is decorated with the intended marble face.

Here is a picture of the Neptune Fountain with water squirting out of private parts.

There was a palace nearby holding a product exhibition. Probably something like you’d find in the Jacob Javitz center. It was a pretty amazing place to have one.

Bologna is home to one of the oldest schools. The university was founded in 1088 and by the 13th century it had over 10,000 students. We walked around the campus, but most of the buildings were closed because it was a Saturday.

At this point, my tour through the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy was almost complete. After taking a Parmigiano -Reggiano tour in Reggio, eating Proscuitto Crudo in Parma, and tasting Balsamic vinegar in Modena, I wasn’t about to leave Bologna without trying some Tortellini.

We went to the place in Bologna known as “the lunch spot.” Tamburini, is a huge deli with numerous cheeses, breads, salads, hams, olive oils and fresh pasta. They are only open for lunch and offer a self-service buffet. Here is a picture of some of the different kinds of Tortellini that they sell.

Bologna worked out well and it was a fun, filling day. On Saturday night, I went to a bar to watch Fiorentina play AC Milan (big rivalry). It was packed with rowdy Fiorentina soccer fans, but we lost 3-1.